USA - Visas: US imposes visa rules for pregnant women on 'birth tourism'

The Trump administration is imposing new visa rules aimed at restricting “birth tourism," in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have U.S....

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news.com/d4c42c5311ba8a6661855cadd12f0fed

The Netherlands: Amazon is finally expanding its services in the Netherlands

Amazon has been available in the Netherlands since 2014, but only as a vendor for e-books. Now, the giant multinational is set to expand, finally offering the full Amazon experience currently enjoyed by many other countries around the world.

From this week, both domestic and international companies can register to offer products. This year, you will be able to order millions of products through Amazon.nl.

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The Netherlands: Away winter blues! Netherlands marks National Tulip Day

Tulip growers in the Netherlands beat back winter — if only for a day — with a riotous explosion of color Saturday as they turned an Amsterdam square into a multi-colored feast for cold-dulled senses to mark National Tulip Day.

Several thousand people converged on Dam Square in front of the Royal Palace to enjoy and pick the 200,000 free tulips, making gorgeous bunches for themselves from the rainbow of vibrant colors on offer.

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Britain: Immune discovery 'may treat all cancer'

Research is at an early stage but scientists said it had huge potential for destroying cancers.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51182451

EU-Turkey relations: EU denies reports of further Turkey aid cuts

Media reports about massive cuts in funding "are completely wrong and misleading," an EU spokesman has said. The bloc cut pre-accession funds to Turkey in 2017 and is not planning further cuts.

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https://www.dw.com/en/eu-denies-reports-of-further-turkey-aid-cuts/a-52060306

Switzerland-Davos 2020: American politics is the biggest risk facing the world right now, say experts

American politics is the biggest threat facing the world in 2020 and the looming presidential election will stress the country's institutions, influence economic and foreign policy and further divide an already polarized electorate, with potentially huge consequences for the climate, business and investors.

That's the view of experts at consultancies Eurasia Group and Control Risks.

The World Economic Forum, which is preparing to hold its annual meeting of political leaders and CEOs next week in Davos, is also warning of increased turbulence this year from trade conflicts and political polarization that makes it harder to tackle global challenges.

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The Netherlands: Solar park taking shape along 40 km of road in the Netherlands – by Emiliano Bellini

The Dutch water management agency plans to install solar panels along both sides of the A37 highway in Drenthe province, as well as on the median strip, to cover 300 hectares in total. The project is part of a plan to build projects on state land, as the domestic PV industry continues to search for alternative surfaces on which to deploy solar.

The agency is now holding meetings with the Drenthe provincial government and the municipalities of Coevorden, Emmen, and Hoogeveen – as well as network operator Enexis Groep and distribution system operator Rendo – to discuss how the solar park will be developed.

The project, which is part of a government program to build renewable energy pilot projects on state land, will involve the installation of PV modules along either side of a 40-kilometer (25 miles) stretch of the highway, in addition to solar panels on the median strip between the two lanes. The project will span roughly 300 hectares in total, and will be built without having a strong visual impact on the surrounding landscape, Rijkswaterstaat explained. The agency conducted a preliminary spatial exploration study for the project in 2016.

Read more: Solar park taking shape along 40 km of road in the Netherlands – pv magazine International